View Full Version : Looking for subsonic load thoughts/ideas
With my two cans at 6 months on jail, Im beginning preparations for their release. Have an Omega 30 cal can and Hybrid.
Im wanting to start some test loads for subsonic 308 and 223. I believe I have the following on hand:
168 smk bthp
147 grn bt fmj
Varget
Trailboss
Large Rifle and Magnum primers
I don't have 223 projectiles yet
I never got thrilled by 223 subs. Shot a few in my back yard, and got bored with is really quick.
.308, however is pretty fun because you can dope them out to a few hundred yards. I use 168 nosler CCs, 10.0 gr trailboss, and Large Rifle Mag primers. They stay sub out of my 20 inch bolt gun at my elevation... they start to go super out of Pappabear's 22" barrel.
Ill be firing them out of a scar 17... manually cycling isnt a big deal
Ill be firing them out of a scar 17... manually cycling isnt a big deal
Yeah. I was just running them in an AR. .223 just wasn't worth the effort of metering Trailboss.
Running sub sonic rimfire would be way less ass ache and get you about the same thing.... unless there's a specific application where a jacketed bullet is needed. Plus you could set up an M&P or a 10/22 or something which could run semi auto.
IIRC there's a Hodgdon data for a subsonic .223: 4.0gr of Trail Boss and a 55gr FMJ.
If it were me, and I actually wanted some kind of terminal performance, then I'd load 77s over as much Trail Boss as possible (without going supersonic).
FWIW, I shoot subsonic .22lr, and it's a hoot.
I shoot 22 subs as well... but thats easy because I just buy them. Im very interested in a 308 sub load
I shoot 22 subs as well... but thats easy because I just buy them. Im very interested in a 308 sub load
308 is really fun because is still has some oomph out to 200-300 yards. The come ups are huge compared to full power ammo, so it's like long range shooting inside of 300 yards.
.308, however is pretty fun because you can dope them out to a few hundred yards. I use 168 nosler CCs, 10.0 gr trailboss, and Large Rifle Mag primers. They stay sub out of my 20 inch bolt gun at my elevation... they start to go super out of Pappabear's 22" barrel.
Why not use 200gr or 220gr bthp's? They'd have a little more oomph at 100-150 yard ranges, although they may drop a lot faster than the 168's beyond that.
I may have some 220s as well
Why not use 200gr or 220gr bthp's? They'd have a little more oomph at 100-150 yard ranges, although they may drop a lot faster than the 168's beyond that.
Shoot! I'd love to. But my 12 twist won't stabilize them. Pappabear has some heavy, fat soft point bullets (210 or 220 gr?) that would be perfect, but they keyhole at a hundred out of my gun when loaded sub. They fly straight super however.
.308, however is pretty fun because you can dope them out to a few hundred yards. I use 168 nosler CCs, 10.0 gr trailboss, and Large Rifle Mag primers. They stay sub out of my 20 inch bolt gun at my elevation... they start to go super out of Pappabear's 22" barrel.
Admit it, you’re one step closer hopping on the 300BLK train. [emoji6]
Shoot! I'd love to. But my 12 twist won't stabilize them. Pappabear has some heavy, fat soft point bullets (210 or 220 gr?) that would be perfect, but they keyhole at a hundred out of my gun when loaded sub. They fly straight super however.
Cool. Do you know what pappabears twist rate is? Mines a 24" bolt gun with 10 rot and I've been wanting dope for the 220's and preferably Norma 203b. (8lbs on hand)
Apologies for thread jack, but it's relevant.
One thing I did in my 16" ruger scout rifle (.308) was buy some of the xTreme 150 flat point bullets and loaded them with Trail boss. They are very cheap (compared to most jacketed .308 bullets), and like Mark we could get the drops down out to 2-300. Shooting steel with them was a lot of fun, as they took their sweet time getting downrange. Total cost per round was around 15-18 cents not counting brass (and that lasted forever!).
Can you guys post some load data on the 308 subs? Like I said, I'm using a scar.....
Cool. Do you know what pappabears twist rate is?
He has a 10 twist 22 or 24 inch FN bolt gun.
One thing I did in my 16" ruger scout rifle (.308) was buy some of the xTreme 150 flat point bullets and loaded them with Trail boss. They are very cheap (compared to most jacketed .308 bullets),
Thanks for the tip! You feel safe running those through a suppressor?
The come ups are huge compared to full power ammo, so it's like long range shooting inside of 300 yards.
You just described the joys of shooting .22lr...
You just described the joys of shooting .22lr...
I like doing that too. It's been a while though.
He has a 10 twist 22 or 24 inch FN bolt gun.
Thanks for the tip! You feel safe running those through a suppressor?Yeah, I shot a bit on our indoor range at paper/cardboard to make sure there was no bullet tumbling/keyholing. After that I put on my Sandman-S and didn't have any issues. The plating didn't come off because of the low velocity and the (I think) 1 in 10 twist stabilized them just fine. Very quiet as would be expected.
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Same here. I just love 22lr heavy subs suppressed inside 100 yards. Varmit fun fun. Like the OP, I'm hoping to find a 308 sub load for bigger ground engaging, edible, varmits though.
jethroUSMC
03-16-18, 05:24
For safety reasons here are some things to consider when developing a subsonic load...
- Suppressor is off during load development
- Work down from super sonic to subsonic
- A good, reliable chronograph is required to capture data and determine where your load velocities are at with each new reduced charge weight
- Place a large paper/cardboard target within 10 feet once you are dialing in you final loads to determine the stability of your sub load (Checking for Key holing) before you put the
suppressor on. I also do initial load and accuracy development at 50 yds. Once confirmed I dial the loads in at my zero distance.
- Temperature will shift the range of velocities which keep your load in the super or subsonic range in summer vs. winter, for this reason I tend to develop my loads at a stable lower velocity around 1000 FPS instead of 1050 or a little higher that you may find with commercial subsonic ammunition.
- There are occasions where you can still detect a lesser "crack of the bullet" with subsonic ammunition even if your chrono has verified that load well within the subsonic velocity range - I don't remember all of the laws of physics to describe the why's intelligently any longer.
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